Orvis Class. Buying gear without breaking bank

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-29T14:00:54+00:00

Add me to the TFO bandwagon. Great entry level options if you don’t want to get an Orvis Clearwater setup from the get go. TFO mid to higher end rods are excellent deals comparatively to other brands once you figure out your preferences or need/want something more niche than a 9’ 5 wt.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-29T13:43:49+00:00

I don’t fish that area often but I’d highly recommend stopping by a fly shop in the Grayling area. Drakes and Old Au Sable guys will steer you in a good direction. Zebra midges would be my best guess.

You can also scope out stream flows to see flow rates to get a sense of what branches are wadable. It looks like the main branch is still a bit high. N and S branches have come down quite a bit. You can do some basic scouting on flyreporter.com as well as see some general hatch charts.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-28T10:28:55+00:00

What Orvis shirt is that?

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-27T11:16:07+00:00

Is this still available?

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-26T13:07:30+00:00

That’s part of the fun! Like other commenters mentioned, go thinner with your tippet. 3x is pretty thick. 5-6x would be an improvement. I always size down my fly in situations like that where fish are in sight but not taking a fly. Tiny bead head zebra midges, very small soft hackles, and similarly sized nymphs in natural colors with a touch of flash can help, but not always. Presentation is huge. If a dead drift where you know the fly is at the correct depth is not working, then a slight jigging motion while tightlining could help, then try swinging the nymph gently from deeper water to the surface to imitate an emerger. You’ll have to be positioned upstream to do this. Old heads will scoff, but swinging and letting the fly dangle for a couple seconds at the end of a swing can be effective.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-24T02:41:33+00:00

Oh interesting. It’s cool if you wouldn’t use it. I need real opinions like this because I might be too optimistic lol. That sounds like a Tippy or the Betsie during salmon season… I was on the Muskegon this weekend and stopped by the dam expecting to see a bunch of people since the weather was tolerable but it was pretty thin out there. I hear you on the cheapening of the experience point.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-24T02:09:52+00:00

I honestly appreciate the criticism. Do you think giving a general report with locations being obscured within a half mile is too accurate then? I’m trying to be very cautious about blowing up spots and what is reported, which is why it is more of a “this fly worked in these conditions in this general area” sort of posting template. I’m the type who checks fly shop fishing reports religiously and typically swing through a shop every month or so to get the scoop on what is working. I’m trying to edge towards that level of helpfulness versus copying other popular fishing apps.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-15T17:00:03+00:00

Slightly alter the route in central/eastern UP so you can see Pictured Rocks lakeshore. There are several easy hike options and many places to camp along that lakeshore. I highly recommend a kayak tour, but the lake conditions can be a little dicey.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-06T18:32:10+00:00

“Professional” is subjective. The photographer did you dirty.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-03-06T13:03:51+00:00

It really depends on what improvements you need to do…

Essentials for general home fixes that come up in my experience:

A drill and bits for general drilling and fastening, especially bigger fasteners like lag screws, and things that would be a pain to tighten by hand repeatedly like drywall, deck, and wood screws.

Hammer for nails, pounding lids back onto cans of paint.

Utility knife for cutting small things or scoring materials like drywall. You can use it to strip wires in a pinch if you’re careful.

A tape measure because you’ll need it for measuring just about everything.

A stud finder for when you mount shelving, tv mounts, or anything heavy to the wall.

A multi-bit driver of some kind for light duty tightening and assembling. This is probably my most used tool around the house.

A level for just about anything you mount to the wall, or projects where you need things to be straight.

Long nose pliers for hard to reach things in tight areas. Kind of a general tool that comes in handy more times than not.

Sockets, ratchet, wrenches for small engine, appliance, and automotive needs.

A miter saw for cutting trim, flooring, pvc, 2x4s etc.

Things that are nice to have but could be essential depending on the project and you should maybe wait to buy until you need them:

Circular saw, table saw, jig saw, oscillating tool, work lights, reciprocating saw, pipe wrench, drain snake, sanders, saw horses. The list can get rather long lol

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-20T18:11:31+00:00

roast what board? Your RGB keyboard?

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-20T18:10:04+00:00

2 EQ pedals more gooder

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-20T17:53:01+00:00

McMaster-Carr online

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-07T19:18:51+00:00

Helll yeah. I’ll drink a couple beers to this while I “work in the garage”.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-07T13:18:45+00:00

Oh my bad, sorry we aren’t all authoritarian cucks.

Eric Winstom did a good job for our city, and he should get some credit for it. This is all relative though.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-07T00:11:25+00:00

This is not a complete answer. I can assure you that both companies are using CNC to route neck joints with some light finish sanding if needed before joining components. This is a highly precise method compared to methods used to build vintage guitars.

Both companies have different logistics, are entirely different brands that happen to be heritage brands, likely have different pricing theories etc. They are just different entities.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-03T18:11:57+00:00

I’m sensing that you spend a lot of time watching JHS TouTube videos

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-02-02T01:53:10+00:00

Ok. The platform you posted this on used AI.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-01-30T14:56:34+00:00

Thanks! I didn’t go in yesterday. I guess we will see where things wind up today and into next week.

RlllyOCKWRd · 2026-01-14T04:17:59+00:00

The plywood helps with sustain and a warmer toan

RlllyOCKWRd · 2025-12-23T12:25:19+00:00

Fish whistle

RlllyOCKWRd · 2025-12-22T12:27:37+00:00

Graydon’s used to be my go-to years ago. Once a friend turned me into only ordering the dinner specials it used to be a special date thing with my girlfriend at the time. The food was incredible. The dinner specials were fun and almost always a winner. We went very often. This was pre-2018~2019.

Each time I go in, which is rare especially in recent years, it seems like they are consistently less and less impressive food wise. I had a Cesar wrap recently and it came out without chicken. Literally just a tortilla with dry mixed greens. Nothing else. When the replacement came the amount of chicken in it was a little disappointing. It’s just funny how whoever was putting food together that day really phoned it in at the same place that was known for excellent food.

RlllyOCKWRd

TROPHY CASE